Monroe County is located southwest of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a quiet, tranquil section of east Tennessee. You can easily get here by traveling on interstate 75. Although Monroe County is located less than an hour from Knoxville or Chattanooga, there are plenty of breathtaking views, great fishing, fun things to do with the family and superb hiking trails.<

This is the sixth largest county in land area in the entire state and former homeland of the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee National Forest comprises 1/3 of the county with 189 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and horses. The Cherokee National Forest is Tennessee's only nationalfForest and located here is the Cherohala Skyway one of America's Byways.

Monroe County Statistics:

Average year-round temperature/weather:
Rainfall (in.) 53.1

Snowfall (in.) 2.1

Avg. July High 88.1

Avg. Jan. Low 27.6

Median price of homes: $99,700

Cost of living:Monroe County's cost of living is 18.82% Lower than the U.S. average.

2008 cost of living index in Monroe County: 80.2 (low, U.S. average is 100)

Population of city/county and/or median age:44,848 (2009)

Median resident age: 36.8

Recreational and Cultural:Bald River Falls

Chota Memorial

Coker Creek Falls

Gold Panning

Tanasi Memorial

Charles Hall Museum

Cherohala Skyway

Coker Creek Village

The Lost Sea Adventure

Sequoyah Birthplace Museum

Sweetwater Heritage Museum

Sweetwater Valley Farm - Tennessee Cheddar

Sweetwater Flea Market

Tellico Lake

Vonore Heritage Museum

Unicoi Turnpike Trail

ParksKefauver Park

Sweetwater Duck Park

Fort Loudon State Park

Education:Coker Creek Elementary

Madisonville Primary

Madisonville Intermediate

Madisonville Middle

Sequoyah High

Rural Vale Elementary

Sweetwater High

Tellico Plains Elementary

Tellico Plains Junior High

Tellico Plains High

Vonore Elementary

Vonore Middle

Colleges and UniversitiesHiwassee Colleege

Cleveland State Community College

Shopping:Foothills Mall

West Town Mall

Medical Facilities:Sweetwater Hospital Assoication

Crime Rate:

Violent crime is higher than U.S. average of 3, but property crime is low.

Additional Information:Cities and towns* Madisonville

* Tellico Plains

* Sweetwater

* Vonore

RARITY BAYLocated on a 960-acre peninsula in Vonore, Tennessee, Rarity Bay is a planned lakefront community home for people with a discriminating taste for the unique. The French Country architecture accentuates the homesites, with the added bonus of golf, waterfront living and just a short drive away to all of the refinements of Knoxville. Golfing, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, boating, dining, or just relaxing, Rarity Bay has all of your living needs.

Rarity Bay's location makes the community accessible to all the conveniences of not only Knoxville, but also cities like Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham and the rest of the country. There is no shortage of culture, entertainment and recreation to be experienced in East Tennessee.

Extra Info:Rarity Bay is a private gated community offering supreme waterfront living, custom homes, villa-style homes as well as condos. Residential prices range from under $300,000 to well over $2,000,000. The Country Club offers great golfing, casual and fine dining, outdoor swimming and a fitness center. There is even a beautiful Equestrian Center complete with stables, riding trails, a show arena and picturesque pastures. The arena is a frequent host for local horse shows and rodeos.

Within a three-hour drive you can be in Nashville, TN, Atlanta, Georgia, Lexington, Kentucky or Asheville, N.C. Located approximately 30 miles from Knoxville.